Page 84 of Don’t Open Your Eyes

She scoffed. “Mistake? It was a deliberate act. You’ve deprived me of my child for all these years. How could you possibly think that I could stay with you after that?”

His demeanor changed again and James softened his voice. “Annabelle, please. I know it will take time, but you have to forgive me. Yes, I did a horrible thing, but I really thought it was the right thing at the time. And I’ve given you two other children.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What are you saying? That it’s okay that you took one child from me, because you replaced him with two? Are you out of your mind?”

“No, of course not. I’m just saying that I love you and our family, and I don’t want to see you destroy everything over something that I deeply regret.”

“I’m not the one who’s destroyed everything. What you did is criminal. I’ve looked into it, James. Not only could you lose your medical license, but you could be arrested for kidnapping.”

“Kidnapping! What are you talking about?”

“Yes, kidnapping. You kidnapped my baby when you took him and gave him to someone else.”

“You can’t be serious. You’d actually have me arrested? You can’t do that! I’d lose my license, my liberty, everything. After I’ve dedicated my entire life to taking care of you…you would…you would do that?” The look in his eyes hardened. “I won’t let you destroy everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

“You’re a monster. And you’re going to pay.”

He moved toward her and the menacing look on his face made Annabelle shrink back. His hands encircled her throat before she even registered movement. She was pinned between him and the counter. His fingers dug into her neck, cutting off her air.

“James! S-s-stop,” she sputtered.

But it was as if he couldn’t hear her. His fingers tightened, and she began to choke. She couldn’t breathe. Frantically, she reached behind her and pulled a knife from the butcher block and swung her arm around ready to stab him. His eyes widened and he dropped his hands, backing away from her.

Her hands came up to her neck as she massaged it and continued to cough. He turned and walked out of the house.

The dream that started it all. Now she understood. She needed to call a lawyer.

Annabelle

James had been gone for two days and despite his pleas, Annabelle refused to see him. He’d begged and cried, swearing he had no idea what had happened to him to make him put his hands on her. But it had scared the hell out of her. She had no idea who he really was. How had she lived with him for all these years oblivious to his duplicity? She had already contacted a lawyer and asked him to draw up a separation agreement. She was going to use the threat of turning him in for kidnapping as leverage to get full custody. There was no way she was going to allow him to be alone with their children until she could be sure he wasn’t dangerous. She could still feel his hands on her neck. It was surreal! She hadn’t told the girls the truth, but they knew that something terrible had happened between their parents. The atmosphere at their house was somber.

Chase’s wife was on her way over to talk to Annabelle. She had called Annabelle last night, and they’d talked for over an hour on the phone. Chase was out on bail, and Tara had told Annabelle she’d asked him to move out.

The doorbell rang. Annabelle took a deep breath and walked into the hallway. She opened the door and looked at the woman standing there. Tara’s pictures hadn’t done her justice. She was stunning and exuded an effortless elegance. Silky blond hair framed her face in loose waves down to her shoulders. The stylish black frames she wore only accented her cornflower-blue eyes. Clad in dark jeans and a form-fitting top, Tara looked like she could grace the cover of a fashion magazine.

“Come in,” Annabelle said, not sure how to greet this woman who had been raising her son.

Tara held out a slender hand, and Annabelle gave it an awkward shake. “Shall we go to the kitchen? I made a pot of coffee.”

“Sure,” Tara said, following her.

“Thank you for coming over,” Annabelle started. “I know this is a difficult situation for everyone. I don’t quite know where to begin.” She brought a tray over with the coffee, cream, and sugar and poured a cup for Tara.

Tara pursed her lips. “It’s been a nightmare. I haven’t told Lucas the truth yet. It’s been enough trying to deal with Chase being arrested and—” She pulled a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes, sniffing. “I’m sorry. I’m still grappling with all this myself.”

“Of course. Did Chase say why he hit Scarlett? What did he hope to gain?” Annabelle still couldn’t understand how he could have done it. “Was it intentional?”

Tara put the tissue back in her purse and leveled a stare at Annabelle. “My husband is not a good man.”

Annabelle’s eyebrows shot up.

Tara shook her head. “I really thought he had changed. I’ll bet he charmed you. Made you feel like he understood you like no one else. He’s good at that.”

“Well, I—” Annabelle didn’t know how to respond.

Tara put her hand up. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. He’s a master manipulator. He’s done it before, with another woman he worked with a few years back. We almost split up, but he swore he would devote himself to Lucas and to me. In my line of work, I see what divorce does to families.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Were you in love with him?”

Annabelle was taken aback. Had she been? “I don’t know. I mean, nothing happened. We were just friends, but I felt like he understood me in a way no one has in a long time.”